The Congress on Friday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi invite farmers for talks and accept their demand to provide a legal backing to minimum support price (MSP) of agriculture produce and enact a law to this effect in the current Winter Session of Parliament.

Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala said at a press conference that this government is "anti-farmer" as it was not listening to the voice of farmers and said farmers should be allowed to come to Delhi and the government should speak with them and address their concerns and grievances.

"We demand the prime minister that he invite farmers for talks and pass a law for giving legal backing to MSP after agreeing to their demands. A Bill in this regard should be brought in this Winter Session of Parliament and passed," Surjewala said.

Taking a swipe at the prime minister, he said, "The PM has time to see movies but not meet farmers." The Congress leader said instead of agreeing to the farmers' demands after talking to them, this government is laying nails and building walls on the path of farmers to prevent them from coming to Delhi.

Surjewala accused the government of speaking a lie in Parliament by claiming that all produce of farmers has been purchased at an MSP, saying this is far from truth.

"Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also evaded a direct question in Parliament on whether it will accord legal status to MSP," he said, adding, "They are befooling the country by speaking lies".

The Congress leader claimed that BJP-ruled states have given in writing to the CACP Commission that the cost of produce of farmers in their states is more than that listed by it and they are not getting MSP on their produce.

"If corporate tax can be reduced, then why farmers loan of Rs two to three lakh crore cannot be waived off," he said, adding that the Congress stands with the farmers on their demands.

On the farmers' agitation, Surjewala asked, "Is there a ban on people coming to Delhi? Is this the new normal and new India that they cannot come to Delhi, the country's capital? Anyone should be allowed to come to Delhi." About the preventive measures taken by the government to prevent farmers from coming to Delhi, he said, "This 3-layer security should have been put along the border of China instead."

"Why can't farmers come to seek justice in Delhi? Then why are they being prevented," he also asked, adding that they would continue to raise the farmers issue in Parliament.

He said two days ago in the Rajya Sabha, the Congress MPs led by Sonia Gandhi staged a walkout on farmers issue.

"We will continue to raised this issue in Parliament. But the Adani issue is that of corruption and we will raise that too," he said.

On whether the Congress would meet the agitating farmers, Surjewala said a Congress delegation had met the agitating farmers. "We do not want to politicise this issue. For us, this issue is not of the Congress versus the BJP, but of food security and is not linked to politics," he asserted.

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